There are few stages Jackie Clarke has not trodden in New Zealand and few things she has not done, but take to the stage alone to belt out songs by her heroes is one of them.
"They’re songs I’ve treasured my whole life."
It is something she has always wanted to do but never in her words "had the guts to do it" as they are performed by women who are the "best of the best".
But during the tracksuited days of lockdowns, Clarke, who is known for her days in When the Cat’s Away, the comedy group When the Cat’s Been Spayed and touring with artists such as Dave Dobbyn, Annie Crummer and The Netherworld Dancing Toys, realised life was too short and had an "epiphany, you could say".
"‘What am I waiting for?’ I thought."
She put together a solo show featuring songs from the women who have inspired her during her 40-year career as an entertainer — Judy Garland, Dolly Parton, Shirley Bassey, Peggy Lee and Barbra Streisand to name a few.
"I’m singing on my own, which is a bit of miracle. I seem to have a habit with surrounding myself with lots of women and we all sing together."
As soon as lockdowns ended she booked a 40-seat venue around the corner from her home and packed it out — Jackie Goes Prima Diva was born. From there came invitations to festivals and for a 25-show small centre national tour with Arts on Tour.
"I’d ridiculously chosen these really hard, big songs. So I had to get up there and put my big girl’s pants on. It’s fun; I’m absolutely loving it."
The audience loved hearing the songs which Clarke describes as taonga.
"When you bust out Evergreen by Barbra Streisand people go all funny and gooey. They’re touchstones, many of these songs, for people."
Clarke thinks she will be like Alberta Hunter, another of the artists she celebrates, still doing her thing at 95 as long as they can "prop her into a sequin frock".
"These songs give you so much joy and energy."
She can remember back in the "olden days" of her childhood being glued to the television screen watching musicals on Sunday afternoon such as Streisand in Funny Girl, Garland in Easter Parade and anything with Fred Astaire, to name a few.
"A lot of my heroes are not cookie cutter Barbie dolls, they are really interesting, unique, but very beautiful and powerful women in their own ways. They’re who they are 1000%. To be a diva you have to get up there and be yourself 1000%."
Clarke learnt to sing by singing along with radio and could often be found with her cassette tape recorder ready to record her favourite songs from the radio.
"I was obsessed with music and pop artists right from day one. You learn from imitating and then slowly develop your own style."
Her first band was Marching Orders, which did the pub circuit.
"You were playing on a Tuesday night in Mt Maunganui in the sports bar and Wednesday night in Taupō. There were lots more live venues then."
While she came from a non-musical family, Clarke believes in another life her mother could have been a performer .
"She was quite funny, eccentric, used to do funny voices and sing along to the radio. I think that is where I got my diva gene in a way. My twin sister sings; she doesn’t like doing it in front of people."
She did dabble with journalism for a short time before realising it was not for her. Instead, the stage is where she feels most at home.
"I’ve never done anything else but sing and perform. That’s been my whole life. It’s been a very natural four decades. It’s the one place on earth I feel most free and relaxed."
She has found over the years that one gig led to another.
"If you are a good person and are good to work with you keep making connections. Making music with people is all about finding good people to play with. It’s about developing high-level trust relationships."
Clarke, who was awarded an MNZM for services to entertainment in 2018, knows she has been blessed to have the career she has and not have to "take in ironing" or get "a proper job".
"I still enjoy it and you can’t fake that and everyone else enjoys themselves too."
She is also always keen to try something new and extend her skills — hence her appearance as a judge on television singing show NZ Idol.
Part of her longevity and success has also been due to her pragmatic attitude toward varying types of work. She is happy to MC events, attend A&P shows and do children’s shows as she sees it all as doing what she can to elevate people and give them permission to "fly their feet flag".
"It brings the bread and butter home and that supports the more strictly artistic things I do. I just like communicating to an audience and bringing the fairy dust it doesn’t matter what the event is."
The performance people see is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
"I just think it’s completely natural as well. One of the great things with age is that you learn to trust yourself and your instincts. I also just let it roll and see what happens on the night. That’s where the fun is."
Her main concern with this tour is looking after herself and not getting "too over excited".
"Don’t go for the doctor every note. I’m 57, I’m not a spring chicken. When I sing I feel like I’m 27, so it’s hard to moderate and these songs are built around women who did give it their all and leave their lungs on the floor in a pool of blood at the end of the show. I’ve got to go between the two."
For Clarke, any excuse to put on a frock makes her happy, although she admits they are hard to find and usually requires her to get them made.
"Mama likes a party frock, she really does. I like a heightened, almost drag queen look. Old-school Hollywood glamour — that’s my thing. I consider it my armour. Like once you’ve got your glam frock on you’re ready to go. I spend a lot of effort and money to get my gowns together."
She also likes her quiet time before shows and hates to be rushed.
"Calm before the storm. And then I love that feeling standing on the side of the stage and letting all the anxiety go, being relaxed and going, whatever happens, it’s too late to worry about it.
"It’s my superpower not being nervous immediately before a show. I might be nervous a few hours before but doing my makeup and hair calms me. It’s a routine that gets me where I need to go and then I go bam."
After the show it is important for her to remember not to stay up late, to hydrate and warm the voice down.
"Be sensible. The power of performing those songs you can stay up for hours, but you have to get yourself back down to earth."
Her plan to get through the tour with her voice intact is to not talk during the day — something that is not going to be easy.
"Basically be a monk. I’m going to have to be very careful and not let the wave take me too far. It’s similar to being in a musical. You have to have a cup of green tea and go to bed."
"Doing Mamma Mia was amazing. I made really great friends. There is something about Abba people go bonkers for. Being on stage in a sequin sausage suit with 2000 people in full of joy on their feet is an amazing feeling."
Her time singing with Tina Cross and Suzanne Lynch in Ladykillers over the past two decades is something she has also really loved.
"It’s really satisfying. All the work you do in the rehearsal room, then to share with people. I genuinely have joy for everything I do."
Since Covid, the big revelation has been to make sure she is saying yes to the work she wants to do, not just saying yes to any request.
"It’s having balance and all those things. People are hungry to be entertained and have some fun. People have really missed that connection of the chemistry that only happens in a live environment."
It is a career that she has been able to work around being a mum to two boys thanks to a very supportive partner. They are now 20 and 23.
"It’s been great. I’ve always nipped off for a night there. They just think I’m like a plumber. ‘Oh, she’s got her toolkit on tonight so she must be off to do a job’. It’s completely normal to them."
They are yet to see her latest show but they are very supportive of her. She hopes to do an Auckland show after she has recovered from the tour and will invite them along.
"They don’t like me singing around the house, I’m always being told to shut up. I don’t drag them along to everything I do."
Whatever she does it is about three things: "Singing, having a laugh and dressing up."
"That can take you in a million directions — TV sketch comedy, musicals, dabbling in short films. I love singing anything from country to opera. If it’s got a really good melody and a great lyric it doesn’t matter what style it is."
Clarke admits her career defies the odds, with many people saying you are better to "stick to your knitting".
"I can do quite a number different things. This is who I am. I specialise in being Jackie Clarke."
TO SEE
Jackie Goes Prima Diva, Coronation Hall, Bannockburn June 13, Roxburgh Town Hall June 14, The Lodge, Waikaia, June 15, Civic Centre Invercargill June 16, Regent Theatre - Clarkson Studio Dunedin June 17.
